Appointed describes something that has been designated or named for a specific role, time, or purpose. It conveys formality and intention, often implying an official or deliberate assignment. The term can function as an adjective or past participle, typically modifying nouns or forming part of a passive or perfect construction in speech and writing.
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"- The newly appointed chairperson will begin the duties next week."
"- She was appointed to the committee after months of evaluation."
"- The hall was beautifully appointed for the gala."
"- They appointed a mediator to oversee the negotiation."
Appointed comes from Old French appointer and from Latin apportare, meaning to bring to or set up, with the sense of placing or assigning something to a particular purpose. The modern sense of designate or assign to a position emerged in Middle English via the integration of the Old French line of words related to placing or ordaining. The prefix a- in various Romance languages often reinforced the sense of 'toward' or 'to' in earlier forms, while -pointed reflects the act of fixing, marking, or appointing a point of duty or function. Over centuries, appointed broadened from the literal act of placing someone in a post (appointing an office) to describe roles, arrangements, and attributes established by authority. The word retains a formal tone, commonly used in legal, governmental, and ceremonial contexts, and appears in past participle form in many compound tenses (has/was appointed). First known uses trace back to the 13th-14th centuries in English, with evolving spelling variations as the language absorbed Norman and later Latin influences. The evolution underscores the functional dimension of appointment—deciding, naming, and placing individuals or items into designated roles or positions within institutions or processes.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "appointed" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "appointed"
-ted sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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- Pronounce as ə-POYNT-id with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU phonetic form: /əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/. Start with a schwa, then an open-mid back rounded vowel for /ɔ/, followed by the diphthong /ɔɪ/ in /ˈpɔɪn/. The second syllable contains /t/ before a light /ɪ/ and final /d/. In fluent speech, you can slightly reduce the second syllable to /tɪ/ before the final /d/. Audio reference: you’ll hear the stress on “poɪn.”
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress as aˈpoɪn.ted by stressing the first syllable; (2) Rendering /ɔɪ/ as a simple /ɔ/ or /aɪ/; (3) Dropping the final /d/ or turning it into a soft /t/ before a vowel (e.g., 'appoint-ted'). Correction: keep clear stress on the second syllable, maintain the /ɔɪ/ diphthong in /pɔɪn/, and produce a full final /d/ with a crisp release. Practice: say ‘poɪn’ clearly, then attach ‘tɪd’ to end with a firm /d/ to avoid flapping or devoicing.”},{
US/UK/AU share the /əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/ skeleton, with notable differences: US typically has rhoticity but rhoticity is not a major factor in this word; UK may have slightly reduced /ə/ in fast speech; AU often links vowels more openly and may reduce the /t/ into a softer dental or a tap in rapid speech. The core diphthong /ɔɪ/ remains common to all. For US, you may hear a crisper /t/ release before /ɪd/; UK speakers might show more vowel reduction in the first syllable and a more pronounced /t/ before /ɪd/ in careful speech.
The difficulty comes from the three phonetic facets: the unstressed first syllable with a reduced schwa, the /ɔɪ/ diphthong in the second syllable with precise tongue elevation from mid-back to high front, and a final /tɪd/ sequence where the /t/ and /d/ are released in quick succession. You need to maintain a clear secondary stress and avoid inserting an extra vowel or slurring the /t/ into a /d/ or a /t/ alone. Practicing the exact /əˈpɔɪn.tɪd/ rhythm helps.
The key nuance is the prefix-like second syllable where /pɔɪn/ contains a rounded back vowel transitioning into the fronted diphthong, plus the following /tɪd/ cluster that requires crisp articulation. Because the first syllable is unstressed, you must avoid extra vocal effort there; the emphasis lands squarely on /ˈpɔɪn/ and the trailing /tɪd/ should be clearly audible, though lightly connected in rapid speech.
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